On Monday, 2/24, Ryan Lambert made his spring training debut with a bang. He tossed 22 pitches, allowed a hit and struck out the side. His fastball was hitting 98 mph and hitters were swinging and missing at his mid-80’s slider. He looked all the part of a player without a roster spot trying to force a conversation about how he could fit on the active roster.
Ryan Lambert is the youngest pitcher (23-years-old, a few months younger than Jeff Wenninger) in major league camp this season. He was drafted in the 8th round in 2024 out of the University of Oklahoma where he had a 2.57 ERA over 23 games and 21 innings.
All of Lambert’s strengths and weaknesses were on display during the spring training breakout game in 2025. He struck out two batters but also allowed a run from two walks, a hit and three stolen bases. Lambert can over power hitters, but he has difficulty reliably delivering the ball in the zone. Runners can take advantage of this on the base paths.
Lambert had a quick stint in Brooklyn in 2025 where he allowed one run over eight innings while striking out an absurd 17 batters. He spent the rest of the season in Binghamton where he tossed 42 innings with a 1.71 ERA, 1.286 WHIP and a 13.7 K/9. The only blemish was a 5.6 BB/9. He’s throwing incredibly hard and missing the zone a bit.
At the end of last season MLB Pipeline listed Lambert as the Mets #20 prospect with a predicted major league debut of this season. His hard throwing will get him to the majors but they are concerned about him throwing only two pitches and missing the zone. That’s were performances like his spring training debut come in. If he can continue to get hitters to chase, he’s going to be an electric part of the Mets bullpen.
To honestly break camp with the Mets he would need to be sterling the rest of the month, which probably won’t happen. Lambert will most likely start the season in Syracuse and face more veteran hitters more consistently. If he dominates in Syracuse he’ll find himself to the major league roster in short order.
